Entries
Watch the Oscars and Help Send Kids to Camp
On Sunday, February 26, 49 charities in as many locations will host authorized viewing parties during the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. San Diego's officially sanctioned soiree will be held at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Ave. All …
Reviews!
Someone left the back door to the Reader's print department unlocked, and guess who slipped in and snuck some reviews onto the page! I found The Woman in Black to be a minor sort of success, albeit an exceedingly good-looking …
Stooge Larry Fine on Performing During the First Super Bowl Half-Time Show
Taking a break from Remembrance of Things Past, I turn to the Qur'an of Stoogedom, Larry Fine's autobiography, Stroke of Luck (as told to James Carone), for my nightly dollop of literary enlightenment. The following photograph and accompanying text appears …
Give Your Sweetie the Gift of Cinema & Free Popcorn This Valentine's Day
Let the record reflect: Landmark's Ken Cinema pops the best corn in town. They use real butter, but I wouldn't know. The habit of greasing my popcorn ceased decades ago after movie theatres switched from butterfat topping to Havoline 10W-40. …
Oscar Class of 2012 Group Photo
Several weeks before Hollywood's annual version of the Bataan Death March, the hopefuls gather at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Academy Awards nominations luncheon. After the rubber-chicken entree, the group assembles for a commemorative photo. According to Cinema Blend, …
Open Call for Submissions to the Oceanside International Film Festival
Forgive my ignorance, but until an email announcing an open call for submissions arrived, I had no inkling there was an Oceanside International Film Festival. Their website, with the message "We hope to bring the Oceanside International Film Festival back …
Dig A Hole: Bill Hinzman, George Romero's First Zombie
Short of beating, burning, or a bullet to the head, zombies aren't supposed to die, particularly of cancer. Alas, that was the fate that befell Bill Hinzman, the first flesh-eater ever to grace a George A. Romero Living Dead epic. …
Dig a Hole: Ben Gazzara
He built a career playing con-artists, criminals, pimps, cheats, and drunks, yet somehow you couldn’t help but believe every word that came out of Ben Gazzara’s mouth. Biagio Anthony Gazzarra was born August 28, 1930 on New York's Lower East …
Grate Cinema: The Way We Were (1973)
Gene Siskel didn't drive. After the preview of The Way We Were (it sneaked along with the Robby Benson teen romance Jeremy), he stood in front of the Golf Mill Theatre in Niles, Illinois looking for a cab. This was …
DVD Rentals: Crossfire (1947)
With a star-powered trio of Roberts (Ryan, Mitchum and Young) sharing the one-sheet for a film noir produced by the studio that helped define the post-war style, Crossfire should be a lot better than it is. Only one of the …
Tonight's Midnight Movie at The Ken: The Theatre Bizarre
Far be it from me to pass on watching a movie, but in this case I had no choice but to resist. It's bad enough that advance screenings off DVD-mailers, not 35mm or digital prints, are arriving with greater frequency, …
Review: Big Miracle
Will Drew Barrymore’s “save the whales” tale connect with audiences? Or will it cause parents — searching for two hours that will silence their calves — to wail. The “incredible true story that touched the world,” upon which Big Miracle …
Reviews!
David Elliott paints it grey this week. Sorry. Terrible joke, even if you do remember "Paint it Black" by U2. Sorry. Another terrible joke. Moving right along: "The Grey has some visceral feel for men finding their nature amid cruel …
Review: Chronicle
Four-word review of Chronicle: Screw you, Spider-Man. You remember Spider-Man, right? (It's okay if not: a new version is due this summer.) Teenage outcast gains incredible powers, lets said powers go to his head, loses beloved parental figure, ultimately learns …
Review: La Cara Oculta
If you are one to flinch at the creaks and groans that emerge from your apartment's walls and floorboards, Andi Baiz’s La Cara Oculta (The Hidden Face) may not be the right movie for you. If the thought of a …
#HungerGames50: I AM SO CONFLICTED RIGHT NOW
Why I'll be seeing this movie. Look, hooray for The Hunger Games, okay? By all accounts, it's a better YA buzz than Twilight, and now that Harry Potter is over and Daniel Radcliffe gets to play a grownup (Woman in …
Searching for Jimmy Dean
We'll have a review of the angsty teen drama Chronicle up in a little bit, but in the meantime, remember James Dean? It's okay if you don't. Dude only made like three movies, and two of 'em were angsty teen …
Grate Cinema: Death Wish 3 (1985)
Bronson in the ‘80’s has a delightfully-debased artistic ring to it. Some may call it Bronson past his prime, but did Charles Bronson ever have a prime to get past? Bronson carved a career as a stone-faced mute, a mound …
The Title or Trailer Game III: The List is Life
Once again I dig deep into my treasure-trove of DVDs and come up with an arcane collection of title-cards and key-artwork. This time around we have a bumper-crop of pictures with themes ranging from incest, madness, and combat to vanity, …
Mashups and Movies
Bear with me a moment: I am fond of the author Walker Percy. But when I read this bit from lit-blogger Maud Newton, I couldn't help but nod in knowing agreement: "I used to fall in love with a book …